


pinot noir

by boyswish



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Art, Fluff, M/M, Photography, Wine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23931385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boyswish/pseuds/boyswish
Summary: 22 year old xu minghao is an artist and wine enthusiast. he does not know very many people in his neighborhood since he spends most of his time indoors, making his art pieces. he eventually meets 23 year old kim mingyu, who just recently moved in at the house across the street from him. once the two meet under... rainy circumstances, they both come to find that they share a love for wine. that love sparks a friendship, and perhaps, something more than platonic relations.
Relationships: Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

minghao’s attention was fixated on the movements of his paintbrush gracefully brushing against his paint canvas. twenty-two year old minghao was an artist. he had painted an innumerable amount of paintings already; art was something that he loved deeply. It was a passion to him. he was so engrossed in his art that he almost did not hear the sudden roar of thunder that cut through the sweet, soft pattering of the rain as it hit the roof of his house. the ear-splitting noise was enough to snap minghao’s attention back to his surroundings.

he set his paint brush down and stood up. he roamed over to his kitchen where he grabbed his wine glass that had been resting on the kitchen counter. the glass was filled with his favorite red wine; a smooth, black cherry pinot noir. he carefully grasped onto the glass, beginning to gently move his hand in a circular motion. this caused the wine in the glass to slowly swirl around; it was a satisfying sight to look at. he continued the action for a few seconds before bringing the glass up to his smooth, rose colored lips to take a sip of the liquor. he sipped on the wine, taking a small mouthful of the drink before bringing the glass down from his mouth. he walked over to the kitchen window, swallowing the wine that was in his mouth as he glanced out the window.

his eyes focused on the sky. it was about three in the afternoon, but it was awfully dark and gloomy outside. minghao’s eyes concentrated on the rain that was plunging from the sky. the falling rain and gray clouds were definitely a mesmerizing sight. the black haired boy loved this type of weather. after what seemed to be about a minute or two of staring off into the sky, minghao’s eyes darted down, looking straight at the house across from his. he noticed a tall, slim but well-built, brown haired man who seemed to be extremely angry at his front door. minghao watched as the guy roughly tried to turn the door knob. he saw the man try to practically tackle the door down. after about a minute, the man stopped and leaned back against the door; he was visibly frustrated. it was minghao's new neighbor who had just moved in about a month ago. the male was sodden with water from the rain and it seemed like he would not be able to dry up anytime soon.

minghao figured the man had locked himself out of his own. " _what an idiot… how do you lock yourself out of your own house?_ " minghao mumbled to himself, rolling his eyes. he shook his head as he observed the guy trying to turn the door knob and push the door open again. minghao sighed as he set his wine glass down, making his way back towards the living room. he strolled over to the hall closet and turned the doorknob, opening the closet. he reached for a large, blue umbrella, his free hand grabbing his coat simultaneously. the black haired boy slipped the coat on before shutting the closet door. he made the short trip to the front door and unlocked it, opening the door.

he stepped outside and opened the umbrella as he stood under the awning of his front porch. he propped the umbrella up so that it covered his head before heading out into the pouring rain. as he stepped out into the open, the mixed aroma of fresh rain and wet pavement rushed into his nose. he took a deep breath in as he ambled across the street. the man was still trying to open the front door to his own house. minghao watched the seemingly helpless man as he walked. he stepped on to the curb and walked up the walkway of the man's house. he approached the man from behind and moved the umbrella forward slightly so that it covered the two of them. “ _need help?_ ” minghao spoke. the man turned around and looked down at minghao. it was not until then that minghao realized how tall the man was; and how handsome he was too. his eyes roamed over the taller mans auburn hair, watching for a few seconds as rain water dripped down from it. as his eyes moved over to the mans face, he noticed the mans defeated expression as he gave his head a few nods. “follow me” minghao said, turning around waiting for the man to follow under his umbrella. the man began to follow and the couple made their way back to minghao’s house.


	2. Chapter 2

the two stepped into the threshold of minghao’s house. an aroma which was a mix of paint and wine imbued mingyu’s nose.  _ “wine” _ was the first word that came to mingyu’s mind. he was a wine lover as well and the smell of the alcoholic beverage was almost irresistible to him. minghao led the man over to the bathroom, where he gave him a fluffy red towel and a black bathrobe. “ _change out of your clothes and i’ll dry them, just hang them on the door_.” mingyu nodded as a response. “ _uh.. if you want, you can come out when you’re done or just hang out in here or in the guest bedroom_.” he pointed in the direction of the spare room he had. mingyu nodded once again before minghao walked out the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. minghao desperately hoped that the man would just hang out inside the bathroom or bedroom until his clothes were done. it would be so awkward to be hanging with your neighbor… a stranger actually, when they’re wearing nothing but a bathrobe.

the artist made his way to the kitchen where he grasped his wine glass and brought it up to his lips, taking another sip. he leaned back against the edge of the kitchen sink, holding the glass in his hand. he drank slowly, allowing time to pass by. after about five minutes, he made his way back to the bathroom where he saw the mans wet clothes hanging from the door handle. he gathered them and transported them over to the dryer. he threw them in and set it to the highest setting so the clothes could dry quicker. he wandered over to the kitchen where he picked up his wine glass and finished the last bit of wine that was left over in it. meanwhile, mingyu sat in the bathroom, wrapped up in the robe minghao had gave him. he was on his phone scrolling through his social medias. he gave a small sigh as he scrolled. in all honesty, he of course felt really awkward being in a strangers home, but he was grateful that minghao offered to help him instead of leaving him out in the pouring rain.

after about twenty-five minutes, minghao had just finished his second glass of wine and mingyu was still locked up in the bathroom, quietly laughing at some viral video he had found on twitter. minghao heard the buzzer for the dryer go off. he roamed over to the dryer and opened it up. he gently grasped mingyu’s clothes in his hand, checking to see if there was any remaining moisture in the cloth. after confirming that there was no more dampness, he walked over to the bathroom and set mingyu’s clothes on the door handle, knocking on the door once he finished. he quickly walked away before mingyu could open the door. he glided over to the kitchen where he poured some more of the red beverage into his wine glass before making his way over to the living room, taking a seat on his couch. a few minutes later, mingyu came out fully clothed. he stepped into the living room which caused minghao to look up and make eye contact with the man. “ _you can sit down. we can go try to unlock your front door once the rain lets up a bit_.” mingyu nodded in response to this. he sat down on the couch, making sure to leave one seat of space in-between him and minghao. “ _thank you so much for coming to get me by the way. anyone else would’ve just let me get drenched in the rain for who knows how long… so seriously, thank you_.” he said in a soft voice. “ _oh yeah, i’m mingyu by the way_.” mingyu gave a small smile after he finished speaking. “i _t’s no problem really, there’s no need to thank me. i’m minghao. it’s nice to meet you_.” he gave a small smile of his own in response.

mingyu tilted his head slightly as he noticed the glass of wine in minghao’s hand. “ _so, what’s your favorite wine_?” he questioned. minghao’s eyes lit up at the question. he loved wine almost as much as he loved art, so talking about wine and his favorites was pleasurable to him. “ _pinot noirs are my favorite. pretty much any kind but, i guess i have a thing for cherry ones…_ ” he gave a smile as he finished his sentence. mingyu nodded as he heard minghao’s response. “ _i love wine. pinot noirs are good, it’s probably my favorite as well; actually either pinot noirs or merlots…_ ” he gave a small chuckle knowing that realistically, he just loved all wine. minghao gave a smile at mingyu’s reply. “ _well since you’re here, would you like a glass?_ ” minghao kinda hoped that mingyu said yes. despite them being strangers, he thought it would be nice to at least have a drinking buddy. he even thought he could potentially make a friend out of mingyu since they both liked wine and well…. they were neighbors anyway. “ _oh well… i don’t wanna drink your all your wine or anything! i’m fine._ ” he gave a small smile as he finished his sentence. “ _no, if you want a glass it’s totally fine. believe me, i have plenty of wine_.” he got up and gave mingyu a little wave, signaling to follow him. mingyu stood up and followed him. the shorter man placed his wine glass on the counter, abandoning it. minghao led him over to this medium sized wine cellar that he’d installed in a small spare room by the kitchen, almost immediately after he moved it. the cellar was fully occupied, not a single slot was lonely. “ _when i say i have plenty of wine, i really do mean plenty_.” he said, a small smirk on his face as he noticed the look of awe on mingyu’s face as he saw the myriad of wine bottles that minghao had. “ _well i guess since you have so much wine… i’ll take a glass._ ” he said almost breathlessly, still in awe.

mingyu felt like a kid in a candy store while being surrounded by all this wine. he loved wine; he had fallen in love with the beverage from the first time he tried it. he loved the sweetness and smoothness of the wine he first tried. one sip was all it took to make him hooked. minghao stepped forward and reached for a rose pinot noir. he gently held the soft pink bottle in his hands, as if it was his own child. he turned around and headed for the door, mingyu following him like a lost puppy. the pair went into the kitchen where minghao obtained his corkscrew and opened the bottle of rose. once the bottle was opened, he glided over to one of the cabinets that contained all his wine glasses. he grabbed two clean wine classes and moved back over to the counter. he set both wine glasses down and picked up the pink bottle. he first poured one glass, the spout of the wine bottle floating just above the rim of the wine glass. he filled the glass about one-third of the way before slowly pulling the bottle back up, giving the bottle a slow spin in his hands as he brought it up to avoid any wine spilling. of course, this was the  _ proper _ way to pour wine and of course, minghao knew exactly how to pour it. he repeated the exact same movements while pouring the second glass of wine. mingyu was mesmerized as he watched the black haired man pour the beverage. he could not help but to watch how carefully but elegantly he did everything. his eyes went from focusing on the man’s long, slender, ringed fingers grasp the bottle, to focusing on how the wine flowed beautifully from the bottle, his focus changing to how exquisitely the wine filled the wine glass. he could not seem to keep his focus on either of the three images for too long. he did not mind looking at the man’s fingers as he thought they were honestly quite pretty; the rings he wore on his fingers complimented their slender shapes, and he of course did not mind looking at his favorite beverage being poured right in front of him.

once minghao finished pouring the drink, he set the bottle of pinot noir down to rest on the counter. he picked up the two glasses, holding them close to the base of the glass. the only  _ proper _ way to hold a glass of wine. he carefully handed one to mingyu. once the couple had their glasses, they both took their first sip of the drink. mingyu held his sip in his mouth before swallowing, taking in the sweet flavor of the beverage, making sure that it coated all areas of his mouth. as he swallowed, a blanket of fulfillment and pleasure covered him. he immediately felt relaxed, almost forgetting that he was in a strangers home rather than his own. minghao turned around as he took another sip of the pink drink, walking towards the living room. mingyu followed, trailing behind him to the couch. the pair sat down and this time, there was no safety space between them. they sat right next to each other. mingyu brought his wine glass up to his lips, obtaining a mouthful of the alcoholic beverage as his attention was once again drawn to the paint canvas that stood on an easel in the room. after he consumed the liquid in his mouth, he continued to study the streaks of paint that coated the canvas. “ _so, you’re an artist?_ ” the taller man asked, his eyes still fixated on the unfinished painting.


	3. Chapter 3

minghao gave a small nod before taking another small sip of his wine. he swallowed before speaking, _“well, i mean, i paint and make art, but i wouldn’t consider myself to be an artist_ ”. mingyu’s eyes roamed all around the canvas, analyzing each stroke and each color. it looked like minghao had been working on a realistic painting of rain and the dark sky that’s still lingering outside. “ _well i’d say if you make art, you’re an artist. do you have any other paintings, or are you a new artist?_ ” mingyu was genuinely interested in the black haired boys' art. he’d never met someone who was an artist. minghao nodded and stood up, his wine glass still in hand. “ _come with me, i’ll show you my art room_ ”. mingyu stood up and followed behind minghao as he guided him to the room. minghao grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, revealing a room with seemingly countless amounts of canvases. as the couple walked in, mingyu noticed that there were so many different art mediums. there were canvases with oil paints and pastels, there were watercolor paints and acrylic paints. there were even spray paints on canvas. “ _you said you weren’t an artist, but everything in this room says otherwise_ ” mingyu said, raising his eyebrow before taking another mouthful of wine. minghao listened to mingyu speak as he took a look at one of his own canvases; a single blue rose in a garden under a violet and pink gradient night sky.

“ _well i make art pieces, so i guess i could be considered an artist. i’m not that great at it though_ ”. mingyu scoffed as he heard minghao’s reply, “ _are you seriously saying that? your art is amazing! if you tried to sell your art, you’d probably have dozens of serious buyers lining up to try to get their hands on something_ ” mingyu said as he walked around slowly, admiring each art piece his eyes skimmed over. minghao shook his head before downing the last bit of wine in his glass, “ _i doubt that_ ” he said. mingyu was genuinely captivated by minghao’s art. he’d never seen anything like it in his life. he wasn’t a huge art fan per se, but something about minghao’s art was so ethereal to him. maybe it was the color palettes minghao chose or the realism or abstractness of what he chose to paint or draw. he couldn’t put his finger on it, but his art was attractive to mingyu’s eyes. “ _i’d buy your art_ ” he said in encouragement. he meant it. “ _really?_ ” minghao said with a small chuckle, turning around to face mingyu. he looked as mingyu nodded, his eyes landing on mingyu’s facial side profile. his eyes roamed over mingyu’s now dry, but shiny brown hair. his eyes moved down to his face, absorbing the shape of his sharp jawline and the outline of his baby pink lips. his gaze had moved down, now looking at his long neck and broad shoulders. “ _yeah for sure, your art really is great_ ” mingyu said, turning his head to look back at minghao. he gave the shorter boy a smile, exposing his white teeth and long canines. minghao snapped out of the trance he was in, his attention now on mingyu’s smile and the conversation at hand. he offered mingyu a smile in return.

a few hours have passed, and the two men were a bit tipsy. the rain finally stopped. the pair were sitting on the couch laughing as they chatted. they finished their glasses of wine simultaneously, continuing their conversation afterwards. mingyu happened to glance out the window. “ _hey the rain stopped!_ ” he exclaimed. minghao glanced out the window as well, nodding. “ _we should try to go unlock your door now_ ”. mingyu nodded in agreement before standing up. minghao stood up as well and reached out to take the empty glass from mingyu’s hand. mingyu handed him the glas., minghao made his way to the kitchen. mingyu followed behind him, watching as minghao set the glass down. he leaned on his elbow against the island in the middle of the kitchen, his eyes following minghao as he walked over to one of the drawers in his kitchen. he opened the drawer and took out two small long tools. he held them in his hand as he roamed from the kitchen, to the front door. he opened the door and held it open for mingyu. mingyu walked out the threshold of the door and began to walk across the street to his house. the cold air felt soothing as it brushed against his light pink, warm cheeks. he walked up the walkway to his house, making his way over to the front door, minghao trailing behind him. as they approached the front door, mingyu moved over to the side a bit, giving mingao some space to work. minghao kneeled down in front of the door so that he was at perfect eye level with the doorknob. he took one of the tools he’d bought and stuck it in the keyhole of the door. he began to jiggle it around, his mind fully concentrated on unlocking the door.

mingyu’s eyes rested on minghao as he worked. he couldn’t help but notice the way minghao’s black hair fell perfectly around his face, his bangs landing just above his eyelids. maybe it was the alcohol messing with him, but he was entranced by minghao’s beauty. he noticed how minghao’s slender but broad shoulders sloped down at just the perfect angle, and how minghao’s slender fingers worked as he attempted to unlock the door. mingyu’s already pink cheeks were now blanketed with a slightly darker shade of pink as he caught himself checking minghao out. “ _i didn’t realize how cute my neighbor was…_ ” he thought to himself. he snapped back to reality after about three minutes as he heard a click, then heard minghao exclaim “ _i got it!! it should be unlocked now_ ”. minghao flashed him a wide smile. he watched as mingyu smiled back, noticing the blush on the taller man’s cheeks. despite noticing, he didn’t think much of it since the man had been drinking and was obviously a bit tipsy. minghao stood up and turned the door knob. sure enough, the door opened right up. mingyu’s smile became even wider. he threw his hands up in victory. “ _thank you so much, i really don’t know how i would have got inside if it wasn’t for you. i probably would have had to break a window or something to get in_ ” mingyu said, giving a small chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck. minghao gave a small laugh, “ _well now you can go in. and don’t forget your keys next time_ ” minghao teased, the smile still on his face. mingyu nodded as he gave another laugh.

“ _thanks again for coming to get me and for drying my clothes.. and everything really. it was so kind of you_ ” mingyu gave the shorter man a warm smile. minghao returned the smile, looking up at mingyu. “ _it’s no problem really. i’m actually happy i came to help you. we have the same interests it seems, and i think we’d be great friends_ ” minghao said. mingyu chuckled and nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. “ _i think we will be too. let’s hang out again. i think you need help drinking all that wine you have_ ” he verbalized, a soft laugh leaving his lips. minghao chuckled and nodded in agreement. “ _well, i should go back home and clean up and stuff. but i definitely do wanna hang out again_ ” he said with a grin. mingyu felt his heart flutter once he heard those last few words leave minghao’s lips. “ _well, how about tomorrow_?” mingyu said, his heart beating a tad bit faster out of mild nervousness. minghao nodded, the same smile still visible on his face, “ _yeah, tomorrow works for me_ ”. mingyu’s smile was somehow bigger than before, “ _i will be seeing you tomorrow then_ ” he spoke as he began walking into the threshold of the doorway. “ _i’ll see you tomorrow_ ” minghao said softly. a light blush coated minghao’s cheeks as he sensed mingyu’s excitement. he turned around and began walking back towards his house. mingyu watched as minghao walked away for a few extra seconds before closing his front door, and walking into his living room. minghao approached his own front door and returned home. both of them were eager for tomorrow’s arrival. maybe it would be the start of a beautiful friendship. or maybe even _**more**_.


End file.
